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B. A. RICE. Vegetable Gutter.

No. 233,700. Patented Oct. 26,1880.

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EVERETT A. RICE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VEGETABLE-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,700, dated October 26, 1880.

Application filed March 15, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVERETT A. RICE, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Potato or Vegetable Gutters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

The object of my improvement is to provide a machine which will be simple in its construction and will work uniformly and rapidly; and the essential features consist in the peculiar construction of the knives and their adjustment; also, in combination of the means for holding the vegetable or other substance to be cut in close proximity to the cutters; also, in the arrangement of both-cuttin g and stripping blades, whereby they operate at one and the same time.

i In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a cutter embodying my improvements, a portion of the disk-plate being broken away to show the knives. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view.

a is the base-plate. b is the frame for supporting the several parts of the machine, which consists of the side bars, 0, one (not shown in the drawings) being provided with the side rail, d, and the end cross-bars, e c. On each end of this frameare standards ff, which serve as bearings for the shaft 9, carrying the disk or circular plate h, to which the knives are secured.

On the opposite side of the frame is placed a trough or channel, j, for containing the vegetable to be out, which is movable thereon, and is adjusted nearer to or farther from the revolving disk, as desired, by means of the thumb-screw 1 working in the slot 43, formed in the bottom of the channel j. The outer side, j, of the trough or channel j is extended up considerably higher than the inner side, in order to prevent the contents from falling out.

Beneath the frame is a rod, k, each end of which is secured in a cross-bar, e. To one end of this rod is secured one end of a strong spiral spring, I. The other end of this spring is provided with a collar, m, which slides freely upon the rod, and to which is secured, by the pin a, the pressure-plate 0, the pin passing up through (ModeL) and working in a slot, 19, formedin the bottom of the trough j.

The pressure-plate 0 is constructed with a vertical face, 0, which comes into contact with the vegetable to be cut and presses it against the knives, the amount of pressure being regulated by the operator by means of a strong cord or other equivalent means so attached to the pin a that the spring l may be compressed or released according as it is necessary to withdraw the plate 0 a greater or less distance from the disk carrying the slicing-knives.

The cord 19 is secured to the pin 12, passes under the trough j, through a guideway, (1, formed in the extended piece g on the cross- .bar, and over a pulley, r, mounted in bearings s s on the cross-bar. This cord is designed to be operated by the foot by means of a treadle; but other power may be used, if desired.

it t, 850., are a series of slicing-knives secured to the outer face of the disk, as will be more fully hereinafter described.

25 is one of a series of radial openings formed on the disk-plate at equal distances apart, and having one side of such openings beveled and the other vertical. To the beveled side are secured the slicing-knives t t, 850., set at an angle, and firmly held to the disk-plate by screws o v. The cutting-edges of the knives project a little beyond the inner face of the disk-plate.

A stripping-knife, 10, consisting of a series of prongs or narrow cutting-points, w, is similarly secured on the straight edge of the opening and in close proximity to the slicing-knife, so that when the disk-plate is rotated the operations of the stripping and slicing knives are almost simultaneous.

It will be observed that the knives are adjustable independently of each other, and the slicing and stripping knives may be in operation together, or either may be used without the other. Especially in cutting up potatoes it is frequently desirable to have them cut into strips as well as sliced.

By my improved arrangement both operations are performed at one time, thus saving a vast amount of labor.

By securing the knives on the front of the disk-plate they are conveniently arranged for manipulation, and the most accurate and permay prefer to use a weight, as either would answer the purpose.

I claim In a potato or vegetable cutting machine. the combination, with the rotating disk It and knives t and w, of the slotted trough 7', pressure-plate 0, provided with the pin a, secured to the collar m, rod 7c, spring I, cord 19, and pulley a", all constructed and operated substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Vitnesses: EVERETT A. RICE.

EDWARD O. HART, WILLIAM A. LEWIS. 

